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Denarius - Vespasian PONTIF MAXIM
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 73 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The emperor Vespasian depicted in togate attire, seated to the right upon a curule chair with his feet resting on a low footstool, in the conventional pose of imperial authority. He holds a long vertical sceptre upright in his right hand and extends an olive branch in his left. The two-word legend PONTIF MAXIM is inscribed in the field, proclaiming his office as Pontifex Maximus, the supreme religious dignity of the Roman state. The composition follows the established Flavian reverse type associating imperial rule with priestly authority. |
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| Additional information |
Vespasian assumed the title Pontifex Maximus immediately upon his acclamation in 69 AD, using it — along with his other tribunician and imperial titles — as a deliberate assertion of legitimacy after the chaos of the Year of the Four Emperors. By 73 AD he had also revived the censorship, an office dormant for over a century, holding it jointly with Titus. The coinage of this year reflects a ruler at the height of consolidated power, well past the civil war that brought him to Rome.